Lady Godiva by John Collier, c. 1897, Herbert Art Gallery and Museum

19th century equestrian statue of the legendary ride, by John Thomas, Maidstone Museum, Kent.

Godiva (Old English: Godgifu, "god gift"), often referred to as Lady Godiva, was an 11th century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants. The name "Peeping Tom" for a voyeur originates from later versions of this legend in which a man named Tom had watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.

Historical figure[link]

Lady Godiva was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. They had one proved son Aelfgar, Earl of Mercia.^[1]

Lady Godiva's name occurs in charters and the Domesday survey, though the spelling varies. The Old English name Godgifu or Godgyfu meant "gift of God"; Godiva was the Latinised version. Since the name was a popular one, there are contemporaries of the same name.^[2][3]

If she were the same Godiva who appears in the history of Ely Abbey, the Liber Eliensis, written at the end of 12th century, then she was a widow when Leofric married her. Both Leofric and Godiva were generous benefactors to religious houses. In 1043 Leofric founded and endowed a Benedictine monastery at Coventry^[4] on the site of a nunnery destroyed by the Danes in 1016. Writing in the 12th century, Roger of Wendover credits Godiva as the persuasive force behind this act. In the 1050s, her name is coupled with that of her husband on a grant of land to the monastery of St Mary, Worcester and the endowment of the minster at Stow St Mary, Lincolnshire.^[5][6] She and her husband are commemorated as benefactors of other monasteries at Leominster, Chester, Much Wenlock and Evesham.^[7] She gave Coventry a number of works in precious metal made for the purpose by the famous goldsmith Mannig, and bequeathed a necklace valued at 100 marks of silver.^[8] Another necklace went to Evesham, to be hung around the figure of the Virgin accompanying the life-size gold and silver rood she and her husband gave, and St Paul's Cathedral, London received a gold-fringed chasuble.^[9] She and her husband were among the most munificent of the several large Anglo-Saxon donors of the last decades before the Conquest; the early Norman bishops made short work of their gifts, carrying them off to Normandy or melting them down for bullion.^[10]

The manor of Woolhope in Herefordshire, along with four others, was given to the cathedral at Hereford before the Norman Conquest by the benefactresses Wulviva and Godiva – usually held to be this Godiva and her sister. The church there has a 20th century stained glass window representing them.^[11]

Her mark, di Ego Godiva Comitissa diu istud desideravi [I, The Countess Godiva, have desired this for a long time], appears on a charter purportedly given by Thorold of Bucknall to the Benedictine monastery of Spalding. However, this charter is considered spurious by many historians.^[12] Even so it is possible that Thorold, who appears in the Domesday Book as sheriff of Lincolnshire, was her brother.

After Leofric's death in 1057, his widow lived on until sometime between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and 1086. She is mentioned in the Domesday survey as one of the few Anglo-Saxons and the only woman to remain a major landholder shortly after the conquest. By the time of this great survey in 1086, Godiva had died, but her former lands are listed, although now held by others.^[13] Thus, Godiva apparently died between 1066 and 1086.^[2]

The place where Godiva was buried has been a matter of debate. According to the Chronicon Abbatiae de Evesham, or Evesham Chronicle, she was buried at the Church of the Blessed Trinity at Evesham, which is no longer standing. According to the account in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "There is no reason to doubt that she was buried with her husband at Coventry, despite the assertion of the Evesham chronicle that she lay in Holy Trinity, Evesham."^[2]

Dugdale (1656) says that a window with representations of Leofric and Godiva was placed in Trinity Church, Coventry, about the time of Richard II.^[14]

Legend[link]

Lady Godiva statue by Sir William Reid Dick unveiled at midday on 22 October 1949 in Broadgate, Coventry, a £20,000 gift from Mr WH Bassett-Green, a Coventrian.^[15] (photograph taken in October 2011)

According to the popular story,^[16][17] Lady Godiva took pity on the people of Coventry, who were suffering grievously under her husband's oppressive taxation. Lady Godiva appealed again and again to her husband, who obstinately refused to remit the tolls. At last, weary of her entreaties, he said he would grant her request if she would strip naked and ride through the streets of the town. Lady Godiva took him at his word and, after issuing a proclamation that all persons should stay indoors and shut their windows, she rode through the town, clothed only in her long hair. Just one person in the town, a tailor ever afterwards known as Peeping Tom, disobeyed her proclamation in one of the most famous instances of voyeurism.^[18] In the story, Tom bores a hole in his shutters so that he might see Godiva pass, and is struck blind.^[19] In the end, Godiva's husband keeps his word and abolishes the onerous taxes.

Some historians have discerned elements of Pagan fertility rituals in the Godiva story whereby a young "May Queen" was led to the sacred Cofa's tree perhaps to celebrate the renewal of spring ^[20] The oldest form of the legend has Godiva passing through Coventry market from one end to the other while the people were assembled, attended only by two knights.^[21] This version is given in Flores Historiarum by Roger of Wendover (died 1236), a somewhat gullible collector of anecdotes, who quoted from unnamed earlier writers.

Lady Godiva: Edmund Blair Leighton depicts the moment of decision (1892)

At the time, it was customary for penitents to make a public procession in their shift, a sleeveless white garment similar to a slip today and one which was certainly considered "underwear". Thus, some scholars^[who?] speculate, Godiva might have actually travelled through town as a penitent, in her shift. Godiva's story could have passed into folk history to be recorded in a romanticised version. Another theory has it that Lady Godiva's "nakedness" might refer to her riding through the streets stripped of her jewellery, the trademark of her upper class rank. However, both of these attempts to reconcile known facts with legend are weak; in the era of the earliest accounts, the word "naked" is only known to mean "without any clothing whatsoever".^[22]

The story was modified by printer Richard Grafton, MP for Coventry, elected 1562-63. Grafton was an ardent Protestant and sanitized the earlier story. In his version Godiva summoned the officials of Coventry and ordered them to shutter all windows and keep the general population within "upon a great pain".^[20]

The later story, with its episode of "Peeping Tom", appeared first among 17th century chroniclers.^[20]

The story is not found in the admittedly few sources contemporary with Godiva. Coventry was still a small settlement, with only 69 families (and the monastery) recorded in the Domesday Book some decades later. Lastly, the only recorded tolls were on horses. Thus, it remains doubtful whether there is any historical basis for the famous ride. The story is particularly doubtful since Countess Godiva would herself have been responsible for setting taxation in Coventry, Salic law, which excluded females from the inheritance of a throne or fief, not applying to Anglo-Saxon society. If only because of the nudity in the story, its popularity has been maintained, and spread internationally, with many references in modern popular culture.

England portal

Images in art and society[link]

The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, in Coventry, maintains a permanent exhibition on the subject. The oldest painting, was commissioned by the County of the City of Coventry in 1586 and produced by Adam van Noort, a refugee Flemish artist. His painting depicts a "voluptuously displayed" Lady Godiva against the background of a "fantastical Italianate Coventry". In addition the Gallery has collected many Victorian interpretations of the subject described by Marina Warner as "an oddly composed Landseer, a swooning Watts and a sumptuous Alfred Woolmer".^[20] Colliers' Lady Godiva (above) was bequeathed by social reformer, Thomas Hancock Nunn. When he died in 1937 it was offered to the Corporation of Hampstead. Should the request be refused, presumably on grounds of propriety, the painting was to be offered to Coventry. This happened and it now hangs in the Herbert.^[1]

Gallery[link]

• 

  Marshall Claxton: Lady Godiva (1850), the Herbert, Coventry

• 

  Lady Godiva at Maidstone Museum

• 

  Lady Godiva at Herbert Museum

• 

  Broadgate Clock, Coventry

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lady Godiva

• Cecilia Parsons, "Countess Godiva", 1999, revised 2004: biography and developing legend
• BBC News – the unearthing of a stained glass window identified with Lady Godiva
• James Grout: Lady Godiva, part of the Encyclopædia Romana
• How Lady Godiva Got a Tax Break

v t e Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Artists David Gee Francis Skidmore Sydney John Bunney William Henry Brooke Ribbon and silk industry Cash's Stevengraph (Thomas Stevens) Medieval history Lady Godiva Godiva Procession Coventry Sallet Coventry Cross St. Mary's Priory and Cathedral Whitefriars, Coventry Science and engineering Joseph Gutteridge Related Organisations Coventry Heritage and Arts Trust Herbert Media People Donald Gibson John Bailey Shelton Sir Alfred Herbert Lunt Roman Fort Priory Visitor Centre Coventry History Centre

Alexander Day (also known as Marmaduke Davenport, Esq.) was a British sharper known for cons committed in London in September 1722. Originally from St Andrew, Holborn, Day went under the name Marmaduke Davenport, Esq. and hired a carriage and footman to create the impression to shopkeepers in London that he was a respected member of the gentry. Once the shop proprietors had supplied their goods, Day would flee without paying.

In 1723, Day was arrested in connection with a robbery of a mail coach in Clapham. Although he was ruled out as a suspect of this crime, he was indicted on four counts of defrauding and two counts of grand larceny for crimes committed in the September of the previous year. After his trial, Day was found guilty on all counts of defrauding and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment at Newgate Prison, which included standing twice in the pillory and paying a fine of £200.

Criminal career[link]

Alexander Day originated from the parish of St Andrew, Holborn.^[1] He worked as a sharper in London,^[2] where he went under the pseudonym Marmaduke Davenport Esq. to suggest that he was a member of the gentry. To further this claim, Day would say that he had a large estate in Durham and was engaged to a wealthy heiress.^[3] Day also claimed to have left his own coachman and horses at his country seat and needed to hire a carriage and footman in London.^[4] Once he had hired the carriage and footman, he took this entourage around numerous premises in the city, where he would convince shopkeepers that he was about to spend large amounts of money on their expensive goods.^[3]

This perceived wealth and social status led him to be able to gain credit on purchases. Day would take delivery of upper-class items at his rented Queen Square property, but would fail to pay.^[1] Historian Hannah Grieg hypothesises that Day may have previously spent time in Bath, Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh, where he practised his craft and stole goods to furnish his London home and further convince his victims of his wealth.^[3]

Arrest and trial[link]

In 1723, Day was arrested on suspicion of robbing the Bristol mail coach at Clapham,^[1] though subsequent investigations ruled him out as a suspect. During this time, he was indicted on four counts of defrauding and two counts of grand larceny.^[2] These charges referred to crimes committed in September 1722,^[1] which included:

1. the theft of gold and silver lace to the value of £55,^[5]
2. the defrauding of Thomas Gravestock, the proprietor of the gold and silver lace,^[6]
3. the defrauding of Samuel Scrimpshaw for cambric valued at £48,^[7]
4. the defrauding of George Kendrick for tea valued at £51,^[8]
5. the "felonious" theft of 3.5 yards (3.2 m) of rich brocade, 15 yards (14 m) of cherry-powdered podesay and 15 yards (14 m) of white podesay at a combined value of £34,^[9]
6. the defrauding of a Mr. Hinchliff, the proprietor of the brocade and podesay.^[1][10]

During the trial, Day stated that he had stolen to keep up with annual £200 payments on his Durham estate, which was mortgaged for £1,200, but he was unable to provide evidence of the Durham estate and could not provide a witness willing to testify to his reputation.^[1] The court did not believe his defence and he was found guilty of defrauding all persons in the case.^[1]

On 24 April 1723, Day was sentenced to two years' imprisonment at Newgate Prison.^[1][3] This would include standing twice in the pillory, as well as a fine of £200. He would then be under probation for the two years following his release.^[2] Peter King of the Open University identifies that Day's first pillory was in Covent Garden, where he was surrounded by a large crowd and was severely pelted with rotten vegetables and faeces for an hour.^[3] A newspaper report published after Day's sentence stated that he was "a great master of his profession [who] would not be at liberty to follow his former profession any longer".^[3] The second pillory took place at Ludgate Hill.^[1]

Notes[link]

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2010)

Leah Cairns
Cairns at Wolf Galactica Three, London, 2007
Born	(1974-06-04) June 4, 1974 (age 38) North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Website
http://www.leahcairns.com

Leah Cairns (born June 2, 1974) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as one of the Raptor pilots, Lieutenant Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson, on the Sci Fi Channel television program Battlestar Galactica.

Biography[link]

Cairns was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in Kamloops BC, with dreams of becoming a professional dancer, which were dashed when she broke her back in a car accident at 16^{[citation needed]}. When her dance team went to an international competition in her graduating year, rather than sit and mope at home, she headed off to Costa Rica, starting an eight-year backpacking odyssey that took her to 36 countries.^{[citation needed]} Prior to returning to Canada, she stumbled into an improvisation class at an ashram in India.^{[citation needed]}

Cairns has appeared in CTV's anthology series Robson Arms, in CityTv's Godiva's, where she was nominated for a 2006 Leo Award (British Columbia's version of the Emmys) for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series, and opposite Al Pacino in the feature 88 Minutes. She also appeared in the vampire thriller Blood Angels (aka Thralls). During her season 3 BSG hiatus, she signed on to play the role of Emily Hollander on the ABC Family series Kyle XY. Cairns is also a cast member of Sanctuary, created by Damian Kindler of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. It is billed as "the first broadcast quality, HD drama series designed specifically for the internet". Eight webisodes have been filmed so far. She also appeared in the TV show Supernatural in season 2, episode 8 "Crossroad Blues" as a minor character.

External links[link]

• Leah Cairns - Official Site
• Leah Cairns at the Internet Movie Database
• Leah Cairns at TV Guide

This article about a Canadian television actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields at the 2008 Emmy Awards
Born	Brooke Christa Shields[1] (1965-05-31) May 31, 1965 (age 47) New York City, United States
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	1966–present
Spouse	Andre Agassi (1997–1999) Chris Henchy (2001–present)
Children	Rowan Francis (2003) Grier Hammond (2006)
Parents	Frank Shields (father) Teri Shields (mother)

Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model.^[2] Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle.^[1]

Early life[link]

Brooke Shields was born in New York City^[2] to Frank and Teri Shields (née Schmon), who divorced several months after she was born.

Through her father's side, she has Italian, French, Irish, and English roots, along with high social position and relations to nobility.^[3] Her paternal grandmother was the Italian princess Donna Marina Torlonia. Shields was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.^[4] She has two stepbrothers and three half-sisters.^[5][6]

When Shields was five days old, her mother openly stated she wanted her to be active in show business, "She's the most beautiful child and I'm going to help her with her career."^[7]

For her confirmation at the age of 10, Shields adopted her middle name, "Camille". While attending high school, Shields resided in Haworth, New Jersey.^[8]

When she was 12 years old, Shields played a child prostitute her age in the 1978 film Pretty Baby. Eileen Ford, founder of the Ford Modeling Agency, said of Brooke Shields: "...She is a professional child and unique. She looks like an adult and thinks like one."^[9]

Shields with Princeton University Band for taping of Sally Jessy Raphael's Show (Feb 1991)

Education[link]

She attended the all-female New Lincoln School until eighth grade.^[10][11] Shields graduated from The Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey in 1983.^[1]

Shields moved into the dorms of Princeton University to pursue her bachelor's degree in French literature, graduating in June 1987.^[12][13] While attending Princeton, she spoke openly about her sexuality and virginity. Shields was a member of the Princeton Triangle Club and the Cap and Gown Club. Her autobiography, On Your Own, was published in 1985.^[14] Her 1987 senior thesis was titled "The Initiation: From Innocence to Experience: The Pre-Adolescent/Adolescent Journey in the Films of Louis Malle, Pretty Baby and Lacombe Lucien."^[1]

In the op-ed page of The New York Times, her Princeton education was scrutinized after she had publicized her school records in a July edition of Life Magazine shortly after university graduation. The criticism emphasized that Shields did not take any courses in history, mathematics, philosophy, economics, world literature or science with laboratory experience.^[15]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Brooke Shields began her career as a model in 1966, at the age of 11 months. Her first job was for Ivory Soap, shot by Francesco Scavullo.^[1] She continued as a successful child model with model agent Eileen Ford, who, in her Lifetime Network biography, stated that she started her children's division just for Shields.

In early 1980, the 14-year-old Shields was the youngest fashion model ever to appear on the cover of the top fashion publication Vogue magazine. Later that same year, Shields appeared in controversial print and TV ads for Calvin Klein jeans. The TV ad included her saying the famous tagline, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."^[1][16][17] Brooke Shields ads would help catapult Klein's career to super-designer status.^[18]

From 1981 to 1983, Brooke Shields, her mother, photographer Gary Gross, Playboy Press and the New York City Courts were involved in litigation over the rights to some photographs her mother had signed away to the photographer (when dealing with models who are also minors, a parent or legal guardian must sign such a release form while other agreements are subject to negotiation) which were originally intended to appear in a book titled Sugar and Spice to be published by Playboy Press. The courts ruled in favor of the photographer but due to a strange twist in New York law, it would have been otherwise had Brooke Shields been considered a child "performer" rather than a model.^[19]

By the age of 16, Shields had become one of the most recognizable faces in the world, because of her dual career as a provocative fashion model and controversial child actress.^[1] TIME magazine reported, in its February 9, 1981, cover story, that her day rate as a model was $10,000. In 1983, Shields appeared on the cover of the September issue of Paris Vogue, the October and November issues of American Vogue and the December edition of Italian Vogue.^[12] During that period Shields became a regular at New York City's nightclub Studio 54.^[20] In 2009, a naked picture of Brooke Shields, taken when she was 10, and included in a work by Richard Prince, Spiritual America, created a row. It was removed from an exhibition at the Tate Modern after a warning from the police.^[21]

Film[link]

Brooke Shields at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

Shields' first major film role was her 1978 appearance in Louis Malle's Pretty Baby, a movie in which she played a child who lived in a brothel (and in which there were numerous nude scenes).^[1] Because she was only 12 when the film was released, and possibly 11 when it was filmed, questions were raised about child pornography.^[22][23][24] This was followed by a slightly less controversial and less notable film, Wanda Nevada (1979).

After two decades of movies, her best known films are still arguably The Blue Lagoon (1980), which included a number of nude scenes between teenage lovers on a tropical island (Shields later testified before a U.S. Congressional inquiry that older body doubles were used in some of them), and Endless Love (1981). The MPAA initially rated Endless Love with an X rating. However, the film was re-edited to earn an R rating.^[25] She won the People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Young Performer in four consecutive years from 1981 to 1984. In 1998, she played lesbian Lily in The Misadventures of Margaret.^[26]

In 2001, Lifetime aired the film What Makes a Family, starring Brooke Shields and Cherry Jones in a true-to-life story of two married lesbian mothers and a baby versus the adoption laws of Florida.^[27]

Television appearances[link]

Brooke Shields has appeared in a number of television shows. In 1980, she was the youngest guest star to ever appear on The Muppet Show, in which she and the Muppets put on their own version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She was also the youngest person to host ABC's Fridays, a Saturday Night Live-like sketch comedy show, in 1981. In one episode of the popular comedy sitcom Friends, Shields played Joey's stalker. This role led directly to her being cast in the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan, in which she starred from 1996 until 2000, and which earned a People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series for her, in 1997, and two Golden Globe nominations.^[1]

In the early 1980s, she starred in the USPHS PSA sponsored by the American Lung Association as an initiative that VIPs should become examples and advocates of non-smoking.^[28] In the mid-1980s, Brooke began her support of the USO by touring with Bob Hope.^[29]

Brooke Shields aboard the USS Midway (CV-41) during a USO tour on January 1, 1991.

Shields made a couple of guest appearances on That '70s Show. She played Pam Burkhart, Jackie's (Mila Kunis) mother, who later was briefly involved with Donna's (Laura Prepon) father (played by Don Stark). Shields left That '70s Show when her character was written out. Shields recorded the narration for the Sony/BMG recording of The Runaway Bunny, a Concerto for Violin, Orchestra and Reader, by Glen Roven. It was performed by the Royal Philharmonic and Ittai Shapira.

In the latter half of the first decade of the 21st century, Shields guest-starred on shows like FX's Nip/Tuck and CBS' Two and a Half Men. In 2005, Shields appeared in a season two episode of HBO's Entourage, entitled "Blue Balls Lagoon." In 2007, she made a guest appearance on Disney's Hannah Montana playing Susan Stewart, Miley and Jackson's mother, who died in 2004. In 2008, she returned in the primetime drama Lipstick Jungle. The series ended a year later.^[1]

In 2010, Brooke Shields guest-starred in the situation comedy, The Middle, as the next-door nemesis of Patricia Heaton's character, Frankie.^[30][31] She also appeared as a featured celebrity in NBC's genealogy documentary reality series, Who Do You Think You Are?, where it was revealed that, through her father's ancestry, she is the distant cousin (many generations removed) of King Louis XIV of France, and thus a descendant of both Saint Louis and Henry IV of France.^[32]

Theatre[link]

Brooke has appeared in several Broadway theatre productions, including the musicals Grease (1994 revival) as Betty Rizzo, the 1998 revival of Cabaret (in 2001), the 2003 revival of Wonderful Town (in 2004-2005) and Chicago.^[1] She also performed in Chicago in London's West End. She took over the role of "Morticia" in the Broadway musical The Addams Family on June 28, 2011.^[33]

Personal life[link]

In the June 2009 issue of Health magazine, Brooke Shields related that she lost her virginity at age 22. She said it would have occurred earlier if she had a better self-image.^[34]

In the mid-1980s while at Princeton, Shields dated classmate Dean Cain.^[35] Shields has also been linked to John F. Kennedy Jr,^[36] actor Liam Neeson^[37] and singer George Michael.^[38] She was also a favorite date of Prince Naruhito of Japan.^[39] After a romantic interlude with John Travolta, the 16-year-old Brooke Shields dated 18-year-old Mohammed, son of the arms-dealer billionaire Adnan Khashoggi, in Cannes where they first met.^[40] At 18, Brooke Shields met Dodi Fayed and they became friends. Brooke was 24 years old when she spent the evening with Dodi Fayed in Paris to celebrate his 33rd birthday.^[41]

By the 1990s, Brooke Shields would be exhibiting her physique as an extension of her womanhood, promoting physical fitness as an extension of femininity, demonstrating that femininity and athletics are consistent rather than incongruous. Although she was not the only one, Shields had what was required to promote woman athletics.^[42]

Brooke has been married twice. From April 19, 1997, to April 9, 1999, Shields was married to professional tennis player Andre Agassi; the couple had been together since 1993.^[43] On April 4, 2001, she married television writer Chris Henchy after they met in 1999 through mutual friends.^[44] The couple have two daughters: Rowan Francis (born May 15, 2003) and Grier Hammond (born April 18, 2006).^[45]

Postpartum depression[link]

In the spring of 2005, Brooke Shields spoke to magazines (such as Guideposts) and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to publicize her battle with postpartum depression, an experience that included depression, thoughts of suicide, an inability to respond to her baby's needs and delayed maternal bonding. The illness may have been triggered by a traumatic childbirth, the death of her father three weeks earlier, stress from in vitro fertilization, a miscarriage and a family history of depression, as well as the hormones and life changes which were brought on by childbirth. Her book, Down Came the Rain, discusses her experience,^[46] contributing to a greater public awareness of postpartum depression.^[47]

In May 2005, Tom Cruise, a Scientologist whose beliefs frown upon psychiatry, condemned Brooke, both personally and professionally, particularly for both using and speaking in favor of the antidepressant drug Paxil. As Cruise said, "Here is a woman and I care about Brooke Shields, because I think she is an incredibly talented woman, you look at [and think], where has her career gone?" Shields responded that Cruise's statements about anti-depressants were "irresponsible" and "dangerous." She said that he should "stick to fighting aliens" (a reference to Cruise's starring role in War of the Worlds as well as some of the more exotic aspects of Scientology doctrine and teachings), "and let mothers decide the best way to treat postpartum depression." The actress responded to a further attack by Cruise in an essay "War of Words" published in The New York Times on July 1, 2005, in which she made an individual case for the medication and said, "In a strange way, it was comforting to me when my obstetrician told me that my feelings of extreme despair and my suicidal thoughts were directly tied to a biochemical shift in my body. Once we admit that postpartum is a serious medical condition, then the treatment becomes more available and socially acceptable. With a doctor's care, I have since tapered off the medication but, without it, I wouldn't have become the loving parent I am today."^[48] On August 31, 2006, according to USAToday.com,^[49] Cruise privately apologized to Shields for the incident and Shields accepted and said that it was "heartfelt." Three months later, she and her husband attended the wedding of Cruise and Katie Holmes, in November, 2006.

Brooke Shields is a spokeswoman for Tupperware's Chain of Confidence SMART Girls campaign, a program that teaches girls to nurture their mental and physical well-being.

Relationship with Michael Jackson[link]

Brooke Shields spoke at the memorial service for Michael Jackson on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, before a television audience of more than one billion people.^[50] Shields stated in that speech that she first met Michael when she was 13 years old, and the two instantly became friends.^[51] Shields said:

Thinking back to when we met and the many times that we spent together and whenever we were out together, there would be a caption of some kind, and the caption usually said something like 'an odd couple' or 'an unlikely pair,' but to us it was the most natural and easiest of friendships... Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date and that we would have fun no matter where we were. We had a bond... Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun.^[52]

In her eulogy speech, she also shared a number of anecdotes, including an occasion in which she was his date for one of Elizabeth Taylor's weddings, and the pair sneaked into Taylor's room to get the first look at her dress, only to discover Taylor asleep in the bed. Shields gave a tearful speech, referring to the many times she and Michael Jackson shared and briefly joked about his famous sequin glove. She also mentioned Jackson’s favorite song "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin which was later sung in the memorial service by Jermaine Jackson.^[53]

New York Times columnist Gail Collins noted that "it was a little peculiar hearing Brooke Shields’s weepy testimony about her deep friendship with Jackson given the fact that she told reporters that the last time she saw him was at Elizabeth Taylor’s eighth wedding in 1991."^[54] This however does not agree with Michael's statements during his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey that he was dating Shields at the time,^[55] as well as with the fact that Shields was Michael Jackson's date to the 1993 Grammys.^{[citation needed]} Shields has stated that Jackson asked her to marry him numerous times and to adopt a child together.^{[56][dead link]}

Jackson said of Shields in a conversation with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach in 2001:

That was one of the loves of my life. I think she loved me as much as I loved her, you know? We dated a lot. We, we went out a lot. Her pictures were all over my wall, my mirror, everything. And I went to the Academy Awards with Diana Ross and this girl walks up to me and says "Hi, I'm Brooke Shields." Then she goes "Are you going to the after-party?" I go, "Yeah." "Good, I'll see you at the party." I'm going "Oh my God, does she know she's all over my room?" So we go the after-party. She comes up to me she goes, "Will you dance with me?" I went, "Yes. I will dance with you." Man, we exchanged numbers and I was up all night, singing, spinning around my room, just so happy. It was great.^[57]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Brooke Shields at the Internet Movie Database
• Brooke Shields at the Internet Broadway Database
• Brooke Shields at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• WebMD article on Shields and Postpartum Depression
• "Regarding Ardy": an online short film with Brooke Shields
• "The Runaway Bunny" violin concerto, by Glen Roven and narrated by Brooke Shields
• Brooke Shields 2007 Interview on Sidewalks Entertainment
• Brooke Shields 2007 short film on Funny Or Die

Evgeny Mikhailovich Belyaev, also written as Yevgeny Belyayev (Russian: Евгений Михайлович Беляев), (Klintsy, September 11, 1926 – February 21/22, 1994) was a Russian tenor soloist of the Alexandrov Ensemble under Boris Alexandrov. He is remembered in the Soviet Union as the Russian Nightingale ^[2] and in the West as one of the definitive singers of Kalinka.

Biography[link]

Early years and private life[link]

1926: On September 11, he was born in Klintsy in the Bryansk Oblast.^[3] As a child he was known by the diminutive, Zhenia (the soft "g" of Bryansk).^[4] As a schoolboy he won a singing competition at the Artek (camp) (Young Pioneer camp) near the Black Sea.^[5]

During World War II he served in the subdivision of zenith troops and gained the Army Olympiad Prize.^[6] He fought in Czechoslovakia and served as a Lance Corporal in the first Red Orders of Suvorov and Kutuzov division of the Carpathian Military District of the 4th Ukrainian Front under the command of General-Colonel Andrei Yeremenko. He is also said to have been in an anti-aircraft warfare unit and to have finished the war as a sergeant .^[7] He is said to have sung in the lulls between the fighting.^[8] (NB: The Suvorov and Kutuzov division later became the 93rd Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine)).

He then graduated from Gnessin State Musical College .^[9] He married and had two sons, one of whom was a professional pianist.^[10]

Musical career[link]

1947: He was a soloist of the Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Carpathian military district.^[11]

1952: He became a Member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).^[12]

1955: He was a soloist of the Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Soviet Army of Alexandrov (Alexandrov Ensemble).^[13] Under conductor Boris Alexandrov he recorded many songs, and performed all over the world: e.g. Europe, USA, Canada and Japan. The Ensemble performed music by Soviet composers, and Russian and Ukrainian folk songs. Kalinka always drew special applause ^[14] During his time as soloist with the Ensemble, Belyaev's singing teacher was Yevgeny Kanger, who only trained the leading soloists.^[15]

1958: Received the title: Honoured Artist of Russia (Meritorious Artist).^[16]

1960: Received the title: People's Artist of Russia.^[17]

1967: He was made People's Artist of the USSR.^[18]

1960s-1970s: When the ensemble visited London, Belyaev was described as the "Russian Nightingale" and "Mr Kalinka",^[19][20] and again "Monsieur Kalinka" in France.^[21]

1978: He won the State Prize of the USSR.^[22]

1980: He appears to have been associated in some way with Roskontsert (or Roskontserta), the big-band variety orchestra headed by the Russian jazz musician Oleg Lundstrem ^[23] .^[24][25] Also in this year he sang the voice-over part of the cartoon rabbit in the Russian film,Pif Paf Oi Oi Oi (Russian: Пиф Паф Ой Ой Ой) (possibly Dir. Garri Bardin, 1980) .^[26][27] This animated cartoon dramatizes via opera a Russian nursery rhyme about a hunter shooting a rabbit ("Pif-paf!") which is brought home and found to be still alive ("Oi! Oi!").^[28] Belyaev mainly performed in small chamber concerts in Russia after he left the Ensemble.^[29]

At some point he was made Honorary Citizen of Klintsy, his home town .^[30]

1994: In the 1990s he sang with the government musical organization RosKontsert as an independent soloist. On February 21 or 22, 1994 he died.^[31][32] Belyaev attended Burdenko Military Hospital in Moscow with heart problems. He asked the doctors to let him go home for the weekend because there are usually no doctors during the weekend in hospitals, so they agreed. As soon as he arrived home on Kalininsky prospect in Moscow he died straight away of a heart attack. He was buried in Moscow, not far from his fellow soloist Alexei Sergeev, in a section of Novodevichy Cemetery (Russian: Новоде́вичье кла́дбище) affiliated branch located in Kuntsevo District.^[33][34]

Critical commentary[link]

This commentary is about a music video featuring Evgeny Belyaev (see screenshot, right): Belyaev sings "Kalinka" on the music video "Soviet Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble".^[35] The first "Mr Kalinka" was Victor Nikitin who was the second tenor (Pyotr Tverdokhlebov was the first) to perform it with the dramatic, overarching and operatic notes which now precede the chorus in every Ensemble soloist's performance of this song. The origin of this kind of tenor-bravado introduction to a song is in Arab music, and can still be heard in Flamenco cante jondo. "Kalinka" is a trivial song about a snowball tree, but it lends itself perfectly to this kind of operatic showing-off. Belyaev himself was already the recipient of popular acclaim after the 1956 London tour, and he had already been called "Mr Kalinka": the obvious natural successor to Nikitin. So in this performance, as the screenshot clearly shows, he is an immensely confident man with a great musical future before him. In fact it was very possibly the Cold War which kept him tied to the Ensemble and away from the operatic career which he clearly deserved. Since Nikitin, "Kalinka" has always been one of the signature songs of the Ensemble, and the performances are always presented as both great achievement and great fun. This ca.1960 video is filmed outdoors, and shows the soldiers laughing, joshing each other, and dancing comically at the end. This is acting of course, and a striking contrast to the severe picture of Soviet life which was being presented at that time in the West. In the last moments of the "Kalinka" performance, Belyaev, like the other soldierly soloists not allowed to gesticulate while singing, cannot help himself and performs a brief Russian dance movement with his arms, showing us something we did not know before: that his background was in Russian dance culture as well as in music.^[36]

Notability[link]

Worldwide fame[link]

This superb lyric tenor ^[37] did not get the worldwide acclaim that he deserved during his lifetime; possibly because his prime occurred in the middle of the Cold War. Also his fame was subsumed within the fame of the Alexandrov Ensemble itself, when perhaps he would have gained greater personal fame had he pursued his natural course in the international opera circuit. However, it happens that he sang one of the definitive recorded versions of "Kalinka", and perhaps due to that, he is now becoming widely recognised and appreciated on websites such as YouTube.^[38] This is partly the result of "Kalinka" being recently associated with Chelsea Football Club.

Russian fame[link]

April 2007: In celebration of the 300th anniversary of the founding of Klintsy, Belyaev's home town, it was decided to install a bust of the singer by the sculptor A.Smirnov in the town ^[39] .^[40]

February 2008: A memorial concert was given in Bryansk in memory of Belyaev. It was attended by his great-niece Ekaterina Belaeva, fellow Communist Party members, people from his hometown Klintsy, and his old musical colleagues from the Alexandrov Ensemble. On this day the Klintsovskoy children's music school was named after Evgeny Belyaev.^[41]

Repertoire[link]

His work as soloist with the Alexandrov Ensemble meant that he sang primarily songs in the Russian folk music genre, traditional songs, and other songs about Russia, besides a few foreign songs and operatic arias. For this he was considered a "national treasure".^[42]

What the songs are about[link]

In alphabetical order of translated titles, with links to auto-translated lyrics:

The peninsula of Svyatoy Nos, Lake Baikal.

Cruiser Aurora is pictured on the Order of the October Revolution.

A Zemlyanka or dugout used by partisans in the Czech Republic, now a World War II memorial.

Red Army soldiers with the Maxim gun, c. 1930.

"Accidental Waltz": Probably a love song (lyrics unavailable).

"And Again I Am in Line": Song of the veteran pilots of World War II, and their replacement by younger pilots ^[43]

"Baikal Beauty" recalls beautiful Lake Baikal and a girl at home for the homesick soldier.^[44]

"Before the Long Journey" remembers preparations for people's long journeys in the past; comparing them with the preparations of modern astronauts. Possibly sung as a tribute to Yuri Gagarin and his fellow astronauts.^[45]

"Bryanski Partisan Song": A guerilla song about Soviet partisans that mentions an ambush, burnt houses and revenge.^[46]

"By Mostochku Narrow": Possibly a veteran soldier's reminiscences (lyrics unavailable).

"Choir of Sailors from the Opera Dawn": (lyrics unavailable).

"Click the Guy": About soldiers, girls and Moscow (lyrics unavailable).

"The Cruiser Aurora": "What do you dream of, cruiser Aurora, in the hour when the morning comes on the Neva?" The Aurora is a symbol of the Communist Revolution, and she has been a museum ship on the Neva at St. Petersburg since 1957.^[47]

"Donetski Night": refers to the horror of the Battle of Stalingrad, and optimism about a woman (lyrics unavailable).

"Evening on the Road"/"Night on the Road": A sailors' song about going to sea.^[48]

"Far Far Away": About border guards far from home, protecting their homeland.^[49]

"Favourite Remember Us": Possibly about soldiers under orders, who know they will not come back (lyrics unavailable).

"Immortelle": Ballad about the death by the River Don of a heroic Cossack soldier, his body guarded by a single immortelle or everlasting Helichrysum flower, which according to the lyric does not bend with the wind.^[50]

"In a Sunny Forest Clearing": A soldier's love song.^[51]

"In the Dugouts"': A soldier in his dugout (shelter) in the snow, sings to his accordion about his girl far away, and feels warm at the thought before he dies.^[52]

"Kalinka": A frivolous song about a snowball tree.

"Nightingales" ("Solovii"): The lyric of "Nightingales" asks the nightingale to be quiet as the soldiers are sleeping. The song says that they need to sleep in preparation for the next battle, and there is an implication in the music that they may not come home. It is possible to interpret their next battle in relation to the afterlife, so the audience has the option to infer that they have died. ^[53] .^[54]

"Ogonek": Possibly about a girl and a soldier. It may refer to Ogonyok, (Russian: Огонёк), which means "little flame", as a symbol of love (lyrics unavailable).

"Oh You Rye": A love song (lyrics unavailable).

"Cold Waves Lapping": (lyrics unavailable).

"'Ridna My Mother": (lyrics unavailable).

"Rodina": About the Russian landscape.^[55]

"Russian Field"': The Russian landscape as Fatherland.^[56]

"Shooting Kommunarov": A war story to give encouragement to fight.^[57]

"Sing Soldiers": A hearty song for military morale.^[58]

"Song of Russia": The Russian landscape and Vladimir Lenin.^[59]

Two Maxim: a machine-gun song (lyrics unavailable).

"Where Are You Now, Friends": About soldiers returning from World War II.^[60]

Song arrangements[link]

Belyaev was a great lyric tenor, but it's Boris Alexandrov's ^{[61] [62]} musical arrangement (see Alexandrov Ensemble) which sets off his skill and creates the magic every time. A good example of this is the "Bryansky Partisan Song" with its Eastern Orthodox Church music tonality and harmony, which has the effect of somehow making the Ensemble sound like a choir of thousands, evoking perhaps the size of the USSR, the history which created its peoples, and pride in the Soviet partisans. Belyaev sings the secondary harmony in a duet with Alexei T. Sergeev and the choir here, but his enthusiastic voice adds a piquant excitement to the sheer power of the arrangement. So here is one possible answer to the question of why Belyaev stayed with the Ensemble instead of looking for easy fame on the opera circuit. Musically, it was worth staying.

Recorded songs[link]

In date order of original recording dates (not album production dates). Some original recordings have been recycled over many albums, and this is still happening - especially with some earlier recordings - due to their continuing popularity.

Troika of Moscow stud performing at Vologda racecourse.

Key to links[link]

(a): from Japanese "Red Army" webpage, for images of past album sleeves containing tracks by Belyaev.

(b): from Amazon for current albums containing tracks by Belyaev.

In the Central Steppes refers to the vast dry grasslands of Russia.

1950s[link]

"Oh You Rye" (1950; 1964; 1978; 1992) (composer A. Doluhanyan; lyrics A. Newcomer 1950) (a): ^{[63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [70] [71]} (b): ^{[72] [73]}

"Choir of Sailors from the Opera Dawn" (1954) (composer K. Molchanov; lyrics S. Severtsov): no data

"Cold Waves Lapping" (1954) (composer F. Bogoroditsky; lyrics Ya Repninsky): no data

"Kalinka" (1956; 1963; 1978; 1992).
(a): ^{[74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] [88] [89] [90] [91] [92] [93] [94] [95] [96] [97] [98] [99] [100] [101] [102] [103] [104] [105] [106] [107] [108]} (b): ^{[109] [110] [111] [112] [113] [114]}

"Annie Laurie" (1956; 1963). (a): ^{[115] [116] [117] [118] [119] [120] [121]} (b): ^{[122] [123]}

"You Are Always Beautiful" (1956; 1963). (a): ^{[124] [125] [126] [127] [128] [129] [130] [131] [132] [133] [134] [135] [136] [137]} (b): ^{[138] [139]}

"Forever" (1956; 1963). (a): ^{[140] [141] [142] [143] [144] [145] [146] [147] [148] [149] [150] [151]}

"Far Away" (1956) (composer G. Nosov; lyrics A. Churkin 1950). (b): ^{[152] [153]}

"Troika" (1959) (Traditional). (a): ^{[154] [155] [156] [157] [158]}

Mednyánszky's Fallen Russian Soldier (1914-7), the subject of Nightingale.

1960s[link]

"Ridna My Mother" (1960) (composer P. Maiboroda; lyrics A. Malyshko): no data

"By Mostochku Narrow" (1960) (composer K. Akimov; lyrics M. Vershinin): no data

"Beautiful Moonlit Night" (or "Moonlight") (1960; 1963). (a): ^{[159] [160] [161] [162] [163] [164] [165] [166] [167]} (b): ^{[168] [169]}

"Sing Soldiers", or "That Soldier Sings" (1960) (composer A. Doluhanyan; lyrics Nekrasova L. 1955) (a): ^[170]

"I Will Be a Soldier Again" (1960s?). (a): ^{[171] [172]}

"Where Are Your Arms" (1948–65; 1985). (a): ^{[173] [174] [175]}

"My Country I Pledge To You" (1963?). (a): ^{[176] [177]}

"Nightingales" (1963; 1975; 1978) (composer V.Solovev-Sedoy; lyrics A. Fatyanov) (a): ^{[178] [179] [180] [181] [182] [183] [184] [185]} (b): ^[186]

"Near the Garden" (1963). (a): ^[187]

"Before the Long Journey" (1964) (composer Matvey Blanter; lyrics Vladimir Dyhovichny 1962) (a): ^{[188] [189] [190]}

"Song of Russia" (1964) (composer D. Kabalevsky; lyrics A. Newcomer) (a): ^[191]

"Come My Way" (ca.1965). (a): ^[192]

"Where This Country Was Built" (1965). (a): ^{[193] [194]}

"On a Hill" (1968). (a): ^{[195] [196] [197] [198]}

"Gorondorina La"' (1968). (a): ^[199]

Russian Cruiser Varyag moored in the roadstead 1901. Evening on the Road tells of a peaceful evening such as this.

1970s[link]

"Russia" (ca.1970). (a): ^{[200] [201]}

"Song of the Klintsah" (Oct 1971) (composer A. Kulygin, lyrics A. Annual 1971) broadcast in the USSR on All-Union Radio, to celebrate Belyaev's home town Klintsy .^[202] No recording known. He performed the song in concerts in the Bryansk region in 1975 .^[203]

"'Wilderness" (1974). (a): ^{[204] [205] [206] [207] [208] [209]}

The Russian Field (1975) (composer J. Frenkel; lyrics I. Goff 1965) (a): ^[210]

In My Moscow Suburb (ca.1975?). (a): ^[211]

In the Dugouts (1975; 1977) (composer K. Sheets ; lyrics A. Surkov 1942): no data

Accidental Waltz (1977) (composer M.Fradkin; lyrics E.Dolmatovskaya): no data

Ogonek (1977) (lyrics M.Isakovsky): no data

My Favourite (1977) (composer M.Blanter; lyrics E.Dolmatovskaya 1942): no data

Two Maxim (1977) (composer S. Katz

^[212]

lyrics M. Plyatskovsky 1941): no data

You Who Love (1978). (a): ^[213]

Catalina (1978). (a): ^[214]

The Birch Tree is a very old, traditional song about a lad sitting under a birch, whittling and thinking of women.

1980s[link]

Evening on the Waterfront (1985). (a): ^{[215] [216] [217] [218] [219]}

Evening on the Road/Night on the Road (undated) (composer V. Solovyov-Sedoy; lyrics A. Churkin 1943). Duet with Boris G. Shapenko)^[220]

Execution of the Warrior Revolution (1987) (a): ^{[221] [222]}

Donetski Nights is about the Battle of Stalingrad, but the coal-mining city of Donetsk was also destroyed in World War II and then rebuilt, including this cathedral.

1990s[link]

In the Sunny Meadow/Shine in the Field (1992). (a): ^[223] (b): ^{[224] [225]}

Black Eyebrows (1992). (a): ^[226] (b): ^{[227] [228]}

Happy Girl (1992). (a): ^[229] (b): ^[230]

Birch Tree Stood in the Meadow (1992). (a): ^[231] (b): ^[232]

In the Forest (1992). (a): ^[233] (b): ^[234]

Wait For Your Soldier/Wait a Day to Return (1992). (a): ^[235] (b): ^{[236] [237]}

Motherland/Country (1992). (a): ^[238] (b): ^[239]

Undated[link]

Lying (undated). (a): no data

Take a Bandura (undated). (a): ^{[240] [241]}

Our Friends (undated). (a): ^[242]

Hey Girl (undated). (a): ^[243]

Rough sea spray (cruiser "VARYAGU") (undated). (a): ^{[244] [245] [246] [247]}

The Cruiser Aurora (undated) (music: V.Shainskiy; lyrics: M.Matusovskiy)^[248]

Soldier's Wife (undated). (a): ^[249]

Epitaph (undated). (a): ^[250]

In the Central Steppes (undated). (b): ^[251]

Baikal Beauty (undated) (composer A. Doluhanyan; lyrics M. Lisyansky): no data

Immortelle (undated) (composer S. Zaslavsky ; lyrics A. Sofronov): no data